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Regina caeli a 8

Introduction

Guerrero wrote two settings of this joyful Antiphon. In an intimate four-part version he used the local Spanish chant melody, but he produced the present grand eight-part one using the Roman melody, well known throughout Christendom. This came out in the Liber Vesperarum of 1584. Not startlingly antiphonal, it nevertheless is for eight voices distributed as two equal choirs. The ringing ‘Alleluia’ endings of each section show how vigorous Guerrero could be. It gives the lie to the impression that used to be passed on by music histories that would have Guerrero over-sweet, lacking the strength of Morales and Victoria.

Recordings

The main work on this disc is Guerrero’s gloriously sunny and joyful Missa Congratulamini mihi. Based on an Easter motet by Crecquillon (also recorded here), it is full of the voluptuous exuberance of the Paschal season. The five-part textu ...» More

'Anniversary CD of the year—and my personal favourite' (Gramophone)'James O'Donnell and the Westminster Choir have surely come up with another stunning winner. Hyperion and all involved in this record deserve a very s ...» More

Known in his lifetime as 'El cantor de Maria', Guerrero was second only to Victoria in Spanish renaissance music. His Marian motets are celebrated as some of the most beautiful compositions of the period: we include five of the best, including Ave ...» More